Britain lost its way with Thatcher and Brexit, Burnham tells Parliament in first speech

Open this photo in gallery:Andy Burnham delivers his first speech to Parliament as Britain's Prime Minister on Tuesday.House of Commons/ReutersIn his first remarks to Parliament as Britain’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has vowed to “unlock a feeling of positivity and possibility,” but he still faces many of the challenges that forced his predecessor to resign. Mr. Burnham took over as Labour Party leader and Prime Minister in July after Keir Starmer stepped down in the wake of relentless pressure from Labour MPs. Since taking office July 20, Mr. Burnham has been on a “listening tour” of the country and visited Ukraine to show solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelensky. His tour ended Tuesday, when MPs returned to the House of Commons from their summer break.In a statement to the Commons followed by more than three hours of questions from MPs, Mr. Burnham promised a different kind of politics and pledged to pursue “problem-solving over point-scoring.”“It is what the country needs. It is what the public want more of, and it will characterize my time in office,” he said. He harked back to days of Margaret Thatcher and blamed her and Brexit for many of the country’s current woes. “From the 1980s, this country took a series of wrong turns,” he told MPs. “Political power was centralized, economic power privatized, the country deindustrialized, austerity followed,” he added. “And then Brexit compounded the damage, ushering in a decade of low growth and stalled regeneration.”He promised to return more power to city and regional councils, increase public ownership of key utilities and shift part of the Downing Street operation to his hometown of Manchester, creating a No. 10 North. Mr. Burnham’s relaxed, almost folksy approach differs sharply from Mr. Starmer’s, who often came across as lawyerly and stiff. The new style has also helped Mr. Burnham breathe new life into Labour. Starmer to stand down as MP to focus on international affairsUnder Mr. Starmer, who led the party to a sweeping victory in the 2024 election, Labour’s popularity steadily eroded and was eclipsed by Reform UK and the Conservatives in opinion polls. In the six weeks since Mr. Burnham’s arrival, Labour has jumped ahead of both those political rivals; in fact, the party’s fortunes have improved so much that there has been talk the Prime Minister may call an early election. But the style change only goes so far, and Mr. Burnham is confronting a host of issues that bedevilled Mr. Starmer. He’s already come under fire for backtracking on a controversial program to ease prison overcrowding by releasing some prisoners early. Britain’s prison population is close to capacity, and there have been fears the system is reaching a crisis point. Under a plan announced by Mr. Starmer in January, some 6,000 inmates are due to be freed early this month to help address the overcrowding. But just who would be let out has caused a headache for the government, and victims’ rights groups worry that many violent offenders will be freed. Last month, Mr. Burnham made some changes to the program to ensure that people convicted of sexual assault were not let out. But he faced public pressure over the potential early release of two men convicted of manslaughter in the death of a police officer. Open this photo in gallery:Mr. Burnham departs 10 Downing St. in London on Tuesday. Britain's new Prime Minister is confronting a host of issues that bedevilled his predecessor, Keir Starmer.Stefan Rousseau/The Associated PressOn Tuesday he announced that prisoners convicted of manslaughter, death by dangerous driving or indecent assault will not be eligible for early release. He added that the government will ramp up deportations of foreign nationals and convert unused space in prisons − office space, laundry rooms and storage areas − into cells. Ministers will also review a controversial sentencing policy introduced in 2005 that locked up some offenders for an indeterminate amount of time. Critics argue that hundreds of dangerous offenders could still be released early, and police services have said they will struggle to monitor anyone who has been set free. “The police haven’t received any additional funding for this additional work,” said Jason Hogg, the chief constable of Thames Valley Police.Mr. Burnham will also have to come to grips with Britain’s sluggish economy and stretched public finances. He’s under pressure to explain how the government will afford the steep increases in defence spending he has promised and whether he will slash welfare spending. He has announced plans to cut the sales tax on electricity bills and ease some taxes on small businesses. And he has ordered a cut in bus fares and an end to people sleeping on the streets. But he has yet to outline a broader economic strategy or budgetary priorities. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch zeroed in on Mr. Burnham’s lack of experience and his focus on the Thatcher years. “He is talking about a woman who became prime minister before I was born. He is living in the past and he wants to take us back to the 1970s,” she told MPs. She added that the job of prime minister “is not as easy as it looks from the outside. Labour MPs have not explained why they got rid of his predecessor.”